Racing, Training and all things Tonbridge.

Posted on Sunday 13th July 2014

Well it’s been a huge 5 ½ weeks since I received an injury in Rome. The rehab process is obviously very slow going, your head wants to do it and is trying to tell you to do it but your body is saying, slow down we cant push it if you want to race the rest of the season. I have worked very hard to get back to where I am in a short space of time. I raced 3 ½ weeks after I hurt myself, which included 3 hurdle sessions that week. It was a very slow time of 13.19 and came 2nd. There were a lot of tears but I think it was good for me to get out there before I was due to race in Paris for the diamond league a week later. Paris came around very quickly. The positive going into Paris was that I had done another week of training and it was then 4 ½ weeks after my injury which put me in the more "safer zone" of the comeback. I placed 6th with a time of 12.89, 3 tenths faster than the previous week so I was very satisfied with that. I have been doing a lot of specific hurdling work to get back into shape with the main aim at winning the Commonwealth Games, which I think is a very realistic goal.

I have a few favorite places that I love to visit while I am in England, they are, the lavender fields when they are in full bloom, Hever Castle where Ann Boleyn once lived and Charity shopping with my aunty in Sevenoaks. I train twice a day most days so sometimes it is hard to visit these places so when I can't visit them, I find myself hanging out in a little place called Tonbridge. This is where my training base is and let me tell you it has been the most amazing experience being there. The Tonbridge School Centre where I train out of have given my husband and I Honorary membership of the club which we couldn’t be more proud to be apart of. They have welcomed us with open arms and made it feel like home. The Staff, Matt Parker, Alex Lloyd and Marnie Hadaway have been absolutely amazing and I can't thank them enough for what they have done for my team and me. Finding your second home while you are on the road for me is one of the most important things and obviously when you have family that also live in the same area also helps. My Aunty Janice and Uncle Dave have in most years put me and my Husband up for the time that I am over seas. These two family members mean so much to me. I can't thank them enough for their generosity. They make me feel at home every time I am here.

I have just raced in Glasgow for the Diamond league and it was 5 ½ weeks since my injury. Training progressed to another level this week so I was excited to see what I could produce. I was in lane 3 next to Nia Ali and Tiffany Porter, the other two medalists from the world indoors this year. I ended up 3rd behind Queen Harrison and Lolo Jones with a time of 12.87, 2 hundredths quicker than Paris. I was expecting to run a bit quicker than that but at least it wasn't slower than Paris. I don't think I ran a great race as my rhythm was a little off but that is just going to take race practice. I have another race on Tuesday is Luzern, Switzerland and now I can announce that I have decided to race in London at the Anniversary Games as well. This will provide me with another race that can help in my race practice before Galsgow. I am so looking forward to running my last two events and I always get a nice welcome anytime I race in Great Britan.

On another note while I am feeling all sentimental, I would like to thank all the Meet Directors for believing in me and supporting me over the last few years as I have grown through the sport. I enjoy my career and hope to make the most amazing experiences out of it while I can, with your support you make this possible. My sponsors Adidas and Powerade I thank you for sticking by me and supporting me through the ups and downs, this sport is something amazing to be apart of and for you to be apart of my career I thank you. To my team Kieran Pearson, Antony Drinkwater-Newman, Maurie Plant, Robert Joske, Britt Caling, Kerrie Evans, Andrea Furst, Thea Dillon, Ash Mahoney and the physios that travel with me most years Stan Garland and Dolph Francis, you guys have been incredible and you make my career so much easier. We have a lot of fun with what we do and I hope it continues for a few more years yet.